


Was It Real?

by ezazahaz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Angst, But not necessarily in the way you expect, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Skrull(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ezazahaz/pseuds/ezazahaz
Summary: “Was it--did he--” Tony found himself starting to ask, even as he wondered what answer he wanted, or whether he wanted an answer at all, “You knew everything he knew, right?  Did he--did Steve ever really have feelings for me?”Tony visits an imprisoned Skrull who was posing as Steve after CA:CW, and wonders how much of their “reconciliation” was real.





	Was It Real?

Tony stared through the reinforced bars that may or may not be strong enough to hold the being that sat inside.

The alien shapeshifter who had impersonated a supersoldier.

The being who was not Steve.

The Skrull was slumped forward, elbows on its knees and head hanging down. Then, apparently noticing Tony’s approach, the alien stood up. Despite the inhuman green skin and oddly wrinkled chin, Tony could read the expressions that flashed over its face--a moment of joy, before it fell back into misery.

Tony told himself he felt nothing about either emotion--they weren’t real, anyway, no more real than the relationship he’d thought...

Anyway. None of it was real.

“Tony,” the Skrull greeted. Its voice was gravelly. Not warm and smooth like Steve’s.

“Skrull,” Tony replied, and the Skrull had the audacity to flinch.

Tony said nothing more for a minute, wondering what the alien would say if Tony didn’t explain his presence, but the Skrull just watched him in silence.

Finally, Tony gave in and spoke. “Your intel was good. We managed to take down your queen.”

The pained half-smile/half-grimace the alien gave him was eerie to see, so familiar but on the wrong face. “I’m glad.”

“Why?” Tony demanded.

The Skrull took a deep breath and let it out. “Because it means you’re safe.”

“I don’t believe you.”

The alien shrugged. “I understand. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re safe.”

“What, you lived among humans for six months, and now, unlike all your buddies, you’ve seen the light and just want to protect us instead of take over?”

“I--yes. Well, I like other humans, like our--your--friends, but it’s you I--”

“What’s your name?” Tony interrupted. He was pretty sure the Skrull had given his name during the interrogations, but he didn’t remember it, and more importantly, he wanted to stop the words that seemed about to come out.

The alien sighed. “R’klin.” He opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally added, “I wanted to tell you.”

_Bullshit,_ Tony wanted to say. Except he could remember at least three times in the past month when Steve--well, _Not_ Steve--had appeared distracted, had seemed on the verge of telling Tony something important, but had apparently changed his mind and instead talked about dinner plans or something equally mundane.

Part of Tony had feared Steve was gearing up for a break-up. Part of Tony had hoped Steve was trying to get the courage to--as ridiculous and premature as it would have been--propose.

No part of him had considered that Steve was contemplating revealing that he was a shapeshifting alien who had been sent as part of a planetary invasion two months before their first date.

“Was it--did he--” Tony found himself starting to ask, even as he wondered what answer he wanted, or whether he wanted an answer at all, “You knew everything he knew, right? Did he--did Steve ever really have feelings for me?”

Steve--the real Steve--certainly didn’t seem to now, at any rate. He’d only been back in the States for a couple weeks before he’d been replaced. The feelings of betrayal after the events in Germany and Siberia had still been fresh in everyone’s minds. The real reconciling--leading to something more--between Tony and Steve had actually been between Tony and a Skrull. So when he was back, the real Steve gave Tony an awkward apology about anything his replacement had done, and then avoided him as much as possible.

Tony supposed that knowing your replacement had become lovers with the person you’d fought almost to the death could be a bit of a shock.

The Skrull--R’klin--hesitated. “He didn’t.”

The answer was expected, but shook something in Tony’s heart anyway. He nodded. “Okay. So you just seduced me to keep me distracted, then, huh?”

“No!” the Skrull protested, then seemed to force himself to calm. “The moment we kissed, that first time--that was the moment I decided to betray my world. You became all that mattered.”

Tony swallowed. “That’s the type of thing you say when you’re trying to get someone to let you out.”

R’klin shook his head. “I don’t expect to get out of here. I don’t expect you to feel the same way for me, now that you know who--what I really am.”

“Good,” Tony said, and told himself the Skrull’s flinch didn’t bother him.

“But I won’t stop loving you, Tony,” R’klin said, and his chin raised, his eyes flashed not like a confident alien conqueror, but like a determined, unyielding Steve Rogers. “He may not have had feelings for you, but that doesn’t mean my feelings weren’t real. I’m sorry we started out as a lie, but it became more real than anything I have ever known. I love you.”

Tony crossed his arms and stared silently at the alien.

Eventually the determined look slid away into resignation, and R’klin nodded, sitting back down. He slumped into his position of misery from before Tony came in. “I understand.”

Tony took a deep breath, but said nothing more, turning to walk down the hall and out of the Raft.

* * *

A week later, there were mysterious power fluctuations in the Raft. Doors locked and unlocked in inexplicable ways that trapped security guards, and the cameras, even those attached to backup generators, had all footage erased. Exactly one prisoner escaped.

* * *

A month later, Tony sat on a bench in Central Park. The hot dog he’d bought at his favorite stand sat abandoned beside him. His stomach would probably reject it if he tried to eat, and besides, he had to keep his eyes peeled.

Well, he didn’t, not really. He didn’t know who he’d be looking for, and would just have to wait for them to come to him.

If they came at all.

That didn’t stop him from eyeing every passerby, wondering if that baby carriage was empty, if this runner was going to stop right in front of him. It probably wouldn’t be someone with a dog, right?

A well-built blond man toward his right caught Tony’s eye. Could that be...?

Suddenly, there was a voice to his left. “Is this seat taken?”

Tony looked up to see a slender guy in an Iron Man t-shirt and bright green hair. The smile on his face was shy, nervous, hopeful--and familiar.

Tony grinned, moving the hot dog and nodding at the seat.

“Be my guest.”

“Thank you. My name is Rick, Rick Lindon.”

Tony put out a hand to shake. “Nice to meet you, Rick. I’m Tony. Want to grab a coffee?”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry the end pairing isn’t real Steve/Tony, if that was what you were hoping for! I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I ship Stony, I really do, but this came to me and I had to write it.
> 
> I promise Tony and Rick talk out the issues of all the lies and false pretenses before jumping back into a relationship. Because sleeping with someone while pretending to be someone else is not okay. Tony’s just willing to forgive.


End file.
